F. Xavier Helgesen is the Co-Founder and CEO of Off.Grid:Electric, a distributed renewable energy company operating in Tanzania. He is also Co-Founder and Chairman of Better World Books a triple bottom line online bookstore funding literacy around the world.

Invisible Children's Real Achievement: There May Never Be Another Rwanda.

{Disclosure: I am Chairman of Better World Books, a company that has proudly partnered with Invisible Children on nationwide book drives for literacy)

They say there’s no such thing as an overnight success, and that is rarely truer than in the case of Invisible Children. Like a journeyman singer/songwriter that suddenly hits #1 in the charts, Invisible Children is no doubt overwhelmed by their newfound fame after a decade of hard work barnstorming the nation telling the story of abducted children that the world forgot. They set a goal for their newest video, “Kony 2012”, to reach 500,000 people in 2012. Through the magic of social media and a legion of true believers, it reached a Lady Gaga-esque 52 million people in the first four days.

Like the journeyman musician now accused of selling out by “going pop”, Invisible Children is coming under a withering storm of criticism from the largely anonymous forces of cynicism that lurk on the Internet. Some make valid and fairly reasoned criticisms, others seem as though they whipped up their critique after five minutes on Wikipedia. The most valid critiques in my mind are that Invisible Children simplifies a complex situation, is emotionally manipulative, and advocates a military solution. Yet simplicity and emotional engagement is exactly what is needed to engage the hearts and minds of people. Knowing the depth of thought that the organization has given to the issue of Joseph Kony’s continued reign of terror, and the disappointments they’ve had at peace talks which Kony used as a cover to rearm, I agree with them that the solution to this problem will not be found at the mediation table.

This wave of criticism will largely wash past, drowned in a sea of enthusiasm from supporters old and new. But watching this phenomenon from a distance, it struck me that there is something much bigger going on here, and it led me to a startling realization. There may never me another Rwandan genocide in the age of Invisible Children. Let me explain.

I was an idealistic 15 year old in a small town in Minnesota in April 1994 when the first killings in Rwanda began. Though I had never left the USA & Canada, and only had a limited understanding of the situation through the news reports that filtered out, I knew something was horribly wrong. I was repulsed that genocides were not something from the history books but something that was happening in the present. I knew intuitively that the USA could stop it in a day if it cared. I knew the morally right thing was for my country to do whatever it could to make the genocide stop. But I didn’t know how I could make my voice heard. I didn’t know how to connect to all the other people who may have felt the same way I did. So I did nothing. As I walked the streets of Rwanda for the first time last summer, I felt intense shame and regret both personally and on behalf of my country.

And in the halls of Washington the ideas of Realpolitik ruled. The USA didn’t have oil or treasure at stake, and Bill Clinton couldn’t risk another Black Hawk Down. It may have only taken as few as one US helicopter touching down to demonstrate to the killers that the US cared and would intervene. But it could not be risked. So the country’s conscience was silenced and the blood of 1 million Rwandans was spilled.

Imagine Rwanda happened today, in a post-Kony 2012 world. Whether Invisible Children took up the cause, or whether an organization equally as talented and creative came together, a recipe and precedent has been established that can arouse a nation’s morality. Through a cocktail of video, social media, and concrete action steps, millions of people can be brought together as one to express outrage and demand that their governments act. What Invisible Children has proved is what we all knew: The vast majority of Americans, especially the country’s youth, want the USA to be a force for good in the world. This includes using the country’s diplomatic and military muscle for saving lives, not just protecting access to oil.

Once the nation’s morality has been aroused about an issue of right and wrong, it transcends right or left. Doing nothing no longer becomes an option for any politician that has to face their constituents and even their spouses and children. Everyone is asking, “What did you do about Rwanda?” As I write, nearly every politician in the country is likely asking themselves a similar question: “What can I do about Joseph Kony?”

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GOOD POINT! Also I may suggest Syria is not being entirely friendly to it’s people. Oh, AFghanistan is a perfect model of how idealistic Americans can go in and simply take out an unwanted element like the Taliban, then leave the country in peace and harmony, forever gratefull to US! This guy is just insane!

By my count, we are 4 days into a “post Kony 2012″ world. The conflict in Darfur has been going since 2003. While things there are far from perfect, we do have a signed peace deal as of mid-2011. And actually quite a few people have done quite a lot of work to get there. My point is simply that a precedent has now been set for how to unite hearts and minds of a country in moral outrage. It remains to be seen whether that precedent can be repeated the next time such outrage is called for. Surely there are dozens of reasons for outrage today – the question is who can mobilize a campaign similar to what IC has done.

But where I fail to like the documentary is when they have not highlighted the UN efforts. Surely they have not been enough to curb the whole region, a task that is virtually impossible, besides the fact that they are not mandated to do the same. Nonetheless their presence does help a lot of people to go about their lives in these regions.

This documentary somehow makes it look like it will take America to save the world, which is not necessarily true. Its not like America has done a stellar job around the world, if not compounding the problems in many parts with their meddling.

I can’t even begin to understand the horrors these people are facing. If my son was kidnapped and forced into an “army” I would lose it. But I can understand American’s resistance to wanting to help. You are asking mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, wives, husbands, grandparents to give up their family members to help a far off land. Our military families face the threat of loss all the time. It is great that some people can throw money at a situation and feel that they have helped, but most people can’t. Joining the military is the way a lot of people give back to their country. They join to protect our country, to give back to our country. It is hard to feel that our military needs to police the world and that everyone looks to them to help, but has no problems criticizing them the moment they turn their backs…in their own country and from the rest of the world. No matter what they do it isn’t good enough, or just enough. So I guess my question is who do you think should do something about Joseph Kony? Our 18-year-old children? Because that is what you are asking our country to do. Would you let your son or daughter go fight? Would you ask them to? The people they would be fighting wouldn’t be an army. They would be children, forced to fight by Joseph Kony. And I don’t think he would roll over and give up just because we decided to join the fight. He has everything to lose and no problems doing whatever it takes no matter who he hurts. You aren’t asking an invisible government to act on our behalf, you are asking our children to act. So be truthful about what you are asking. I believe we should do something, but it is beyond talking, as Kony has proven time and time again.

This article is laughably simplistic. “The vast majority of Americans, especially the country’s youth, want the USA to be a force for good in the world. This includes using the country’s diplomatic and military muscle for saving lives, not just protecting access to oil.” Like how after 9/11 a lot of Americans (and definitely American lawmakers) wanted us to invade Iraq and Afghanistan? That worked out SO well. It always does, like in Vietnam, Korea, Cuba, any number of countries on any number of continents – sticking our military in foreign countries is not the answer to the world’s problems. And there is reason to believe that the Invisible Children Kony campaign is in fact a cover for, indeed, OIL INTERESTS.

The idea that this video will prevent another Rwanda is ridiculous on so many levels.

A, it will make no difference to the people in unstable, wartorn countries, who have local conflicts that we don’t understand but are ALSO can usually be traced back to colonialism and the “intervention” of Europeans and Americans . B, Americans like to think that if we put enough pressure on our government, they will “care” what we think and “do something”. But politicians from Nixon to Cheney have shown that they could not give less of a shit about us, and they do what they want to continue their wars and interventions for their own interests.

C, buying bracelets and Tweeting may temporarily assuage our own feelings of “helplessness” when our heartstrings are tugged by slick propaganda videos, and from a more genuine standpoint, when we hear of terrible injustices in the world via the news, but it will not stop genocide.

D, the idea that just because millions of Westerners heard about an (outdated) war that in the future it will be up to us to heroically “save the world” because we “have that power” is highly problematic and takes away power from the people who are trying to make their countries better themselves, without a bunch of kids on Tumblr or military forces in uniform getting in their business. It paints anyone who is not American as helpless and in need of “saving” – which was the justification for slavery and colonialism in the first place. See the cycle?

E, Rwanda was also a complicated situation and the idea that US intervention would have been the cure-all is very silly and simplistic. The idea that US intervention is the cure for everything is an idea that needs to be abandoned.

I am grateful that this video is raising a lot of discussion and debate, but I am very concerned with how many people have just jumped on the bandwagon without a second thought and now are fighting to the teeth to preserve those feelings they had after watching the video. It is propaganda at its finest, and I hope everyone takes this opportunity to educate themselves about the problems in the world and learn the nuances of a situation before calling for action that may do more harm than good.

Anon – you make some very fair points, but you are also parroting some nonsense Internet memes. The idea that Invisible Children is a cover for a plot to take over Uganda’s oil reserves is ludicrous in the extreme, and an insult to that organization and its founders.

A few points worth raising: 1. If you actually believe that inhabitants of wartorn/developing countries don’t care what the USA does, I suspect you haven’t spent much time in such places. The USA is the single most important voice in foreign policy worldwide, and has tremendous levers it can pull without a shot being fired in anger. As an example, the notion is widely shared among Rwandans (right or wrong) that a single US helicopter would have been enough to disrupt the genocide in Rwanda.

2. If you believe the government doesn’t care and doesn’t listen to popular outrage, then I wonder how you explain the 100 military advisors the US has deployed to help capture Kony. This was an explicity response by the Obama administration to public pressure to do something.

3. It is a shame that people like you are so cynical about the power of individuals to demand change as a group. It is this exact brand of cynicism that the greatest enemy of most of the movements that have changed anything in recent history.

Your overall argument seems to be that we are best off not doing a thing – just endlessly educating ourselves. I personally will remain firmly on the side of doing something when it is possible to make a difference.

I disagree with Anon’s comments here and think the article is far from “laughably simplistic.”

In the last year and a half we have witnessed a profound, monumental shift in the state of affairs for violent oppressive regimes and injustice everywhere. The internet through Facebook, Twitter, and groups like Invisible Children shine a light on injustice where normally most people wouldn’t even know or care. These mediums have allowed for unprecedented organization and movements.

The difference between this and what Anon describes as “interventions of their own interests” is that, with ICs efforts, there is a massive amount of awareness and participation. The fact that thousands of young people are discussing and even aware of Uganda is impressive alone.

The idea that the people that fund Invisible children are funding it so that they can provide cover for resource wars is far from insulting.

The idea that a small non-profit can raise eight million dollars with there being no profit motive by the funders seems unlikely.

Kony has been out of Uganda for some time now. so the kony2012 movement is already being at least a little dishonest, so how dishonest is a very reasonable question.

The 100 advisors were sent in a long time ago. Period. Full Stop.

There has been presure building to pull out of Uganda because of the “hang the gays” legislation in Uganda.

Google “david kato” to find out what the people that this movie is supporting support.

As far as I and anyone with a passing knowledge of the politics of the area know, this is about keeping the US in Uganda, and whitewashing over horrific human rights abuses, that are threatening to force the US to stop supporting the Ugandan government.

Overall, I suspect either the people doing this are either lying to themselves, or willfully whitewashing over human rights abuses because the pay is a lot better than being a struggling documentary filmmaker.

Xavier. what you are saying has no standing whatsoever. I respect you and what you do, but claiming someone is “parroting some nonsense Internet memes.” when that is exactly what you are doing shows the flaws in your entire argument.

1. Of course people in wartorn countries care what the US does. Whether for good or bad the US is the most active in geopolitics, they have the largest military force and the largest amount of available resources, both diplomatic and material.

2. The US gov does not care what people think. Just look at the uproar around the US with the Occupy protests. No auditing has been carried out into the private Federal Reserve banks, and virtually all Occupy camps have been disbanded now. So the fallacy of democracy in the US is obvious. Look at the warmongering towards IRan currently, despite intelligence showing Iran has no nuclear weapons. People dont want war yet Obama refuses to make a conclusive decision against the lobbying of AIPAC. I would suggest to you that the reason 100 military advisors are now in Africa is to increase military prescence paving the way for more intervention. Only time will tell.

3. It is a shame people have to be so cynical about their governments, but when the government is so completely untrustworthy, it is the sensible thing to do. They lie to the people EVERY day. I live in the UK and we recently had people panic buying petrol because the gov said there were going to be strikes and encourgaed people to fill jerry cans and put them in their garages. It turned out to be lies, and mass inconvenience was caused because of shortages. The gov have been caught lying and no repercussions have been felt. This is a trivial example, but it illustrates that gov is not the solution to problems, it is most commonly the root of the problems.

If we really want a better world, we need to get rid of these global organisations. The UN, the EU, NATO, IMF. Have you seen how many people are protesting (and comitting suicide etc) across Europe because of the poor economic decision making of the EU’s banking cabal which result in the people suffering, whilst the banks are bailed out and continue to receive massive bonuses. DO you honestly think these people care about stopping Kony or just moving another pawn in this game of chess which they see the world as. Read Zbigniew Brzezinski’s “The Grand Chessboard”, and you will have an insight into the world of these ruthless policy makers.

A lot of people in the comments mentioned Sudan… just so you know there is actually a charity called stand up for sudan (i work for it) and we send 100% of the money directly to one of the lost boys named clement who is directly building wells and schools to help rebuild… as soon as the website is enabled to recieve donations i will post it here. this is a real way to solidly improve people’s lives for those of you who do not want to waste your time on useless charity.

wow yeah Gracie, Your organization doesn’t sound very legit to be going after an organization like Invisible Children… you seem to be setting it up this organization as we speak so that you can get donations, where as Invisible children has been around for 10 years and has done actual credible work on the ground in Uganda through competent staff. And all you money goes to some guy in Africa who does this stuff for you… sure you can send 100% but that only works when you don’t actually have competent staff here in the US who need to get paid and aren’t interested in actual accountability, follow through and quality in their work? I have a sneaking suspicion that Gracie might be Clement…

I see you are, at a minimum Brian, fluent in sarcasm and much less knowledgeable about IC and their work. Please define ‘credible’ and cite your sources. Now, if you really want to get educated, try this http://chrisblattman.com/2012/03/10/my-thoughts-on-kony-2012-and-a-defense-of-invisible-children/.

Brian, I am sorry if the fact that i am just an idealistic 10th grader who works for a high school organization created by students and a teacher who actually met clement when he was still in syracuse, heard that he wanted to go back to his village, Ariath, and rebuild his village first by making wells so women wouldnt have to make miles long treks to get water only to get raped and havr their water stolen and then eventually build a school so more kids could get an education and have better lives and rebuild even more just sounded too good to be true to you, but i forgive you for your cynicism. The wells are there, i have seen pictures and spoke to someone who actually saw them, and have also seen pictures of clement at the foundations of the school that is being built. We are not “going after” invisible children either, several members of stand are actually doing a fundraiser for them, i just wanted a way to give people another way to help people and get the word out more.

Thank you for this. Thank you for writing an article that fairly points out the criticism of Kony 2012 and Invisible Children, but uses it as fuel to move forward. What Invisible Children is doing is not about Invisible Children. I think the success of its video points that out. It’s about people who are realizing their voice and want to take action against a huge injustice. I really do hope that this does propel a global society that is focused on protecting each other, regardless of political and national interest.

I definitely think the dialogue opened up by Invisible Children about the LRA, international development, and the ICC has been great. Kony 2012 has definitely caused some controversy, but taking a critical look at aid and development is very important. I am an employee for a NGO based in Uganda called BeadforLife. Kony 2012 is all about the people BeadforLife is directly serving in Nothern Uganda – over 5600 people in over 700 households. If you want to help people directly affected by the atrocities of the LRA in their rebuilding process, BeadforLife is a great organization to work with. We work with women who create beaded jewelry out of recycled paper, and harvest Shea nuts for soap, lip balm, and body butter. Host a free BeadParty to help introduce the products and the women to your community, and help women in Ugandan lift themselves and their families out of poverty. Learn more at www.beadforlife.org

Thank you for pointing out another perspective on how the #Kony2012 campaign is positive. That said, none of the commenters thus far have mentioned Syria – where leadership is systematically killing its own people. Is there outrage over the situation? Yes. Is it clear HOW to solve the problem? No. The challenge in ensuring we don’t have “another Rwanda” is that intervention may in fact not help a situation, but make it worse. The US military has attempted to help in the past, but has so far been unsuccessful. Does the IC video help raise awareness? Clearly. Advocating for a US-based military solution seems unlikely to help. Instead, advocating for actively working with Ugandans and other stakeholder groups would be a good start. I only wish the IC folks had take part of their 29 minutes to give us more current information.

Awareness is good, and it’s not to say that something shouldn’t be done, but how can you just gloss over the implications of military intervention? There are already forces on the ground, by several nations. He is a wanted man.

What about the criticisms from Ugandans?

How is pumping weapons and training into a questionable military going to further any sort of peace effort? Kony is a symptom of a larger problem, and he’s not the only symptom. But he is the most simplistic one, so he’s become the “poster child” (and I do apologize for the irony in using that expression). I want people to be aware, and I want them to donate to charities, but if you want to simplify something, it needs to be this: don’t support a charity that supports military intervention in Uganda. You will only hurt things further.

There is something some of the critics seem to be missing when complaining about the effect this video may or may not have. One thing it certainly has done is create awareness and awareness is important. If I had been aware there was a website where I could go to buy things made by people in Africa who are trying to rebuild there lives then I would have gone to it and bought presents for friends. I was not aware. However, now through discussions about the Kony2012 video I have become aware. It has become an amazing advertising campaign for everyone seeking to help Uganda, Sudan and elsewhere in Africa. If it leads to more people knowing, caring and doing something to help what can be bad about that?

I live in Kenya. We neighbor Uganda. the mere idea that kony is being implicated as a monster to be hunted now is simply amusing. where have the so called the peacekeepers been in the past?

Uganda just recently discovered massive oil reserves to the tune of billions of barrels you cannot be blind to the fact that politics of oil are taking place. what happened to Iran can/ will take place again here I feel pity for the masses of ignorant uninformed people who blindly follow populist campaigns without taking a step back to take a look at the big picture. evidence shows that invisible children didn’t spend all the donation money they received. Don’t believe me? why don’t you Google that and if you believe that its a conspiracy theory then you cannot be helped. …

I am pleased with your disclosure. At least we do not have to wonder from where your biases come. Have a read from an individual some some of the most definitive work on No. Uganda. Perhaps, the book she and Tim Allen wrote is in your collection. http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/10/opinion/kony-2012-video/index.html?hpt=hp_bn9

Xavier & FORBES, as an American with an American-Rwandan family, I share your thoughts, Xavier, regarding Rwanda, and your/our program for taking Kony down. I want my children to live in a post-Kony, post-genocide world. We’ve got a ways to go yet.

Having been to the region and seen the work Invisible Children is accomplishing, their coordination with civil society and ambitious efforts achieved in the rebuilding of eleven high school campuses (including water and sanitation infrastructure) I wholeheartedly concur with your assessment. The “Kony 2012″ phenomenon brings the potential for “Arab Spring” to anywhere on earth. Bad people are made more uncomfortable by the precedent that has been set. This is a perfect example of “comforting the afflicted while afflicting the comfortable” – and so the carping and nonsense-spouting push back is to be expected. Its not cause for celebration, but redoubling of effort and steely resolve. It is awesome to see that happening all over the world!

While I appreciate the optimism in this article and agree that the Kony 2012 video provides an important model for mobilizing activism against massive human rights violations across the world, the idea that this model will prevent another Rwanda is extremely problematic. The comment, “It may have only taken as few as one US helicopter touching down to demonstrate to the killers that the US cared…” (and could ostensibly stop the genocide) ignores every serious analysis of the Rwandan genocide that I am aware of. For one, the UN had a sizable multinational presence in Rwanda before and during the genocide. Second, most scholars and policy makers agree that in Rwanda, the rapid escalation of killing in the immediate aftermath of the shooting down of President Habyarimana’s plane would have been nearly impossible to stop in its entirety (although certainly in retrospect any intervention would have at the least lessened the enormous loss of life). Finally, and most importantly, the attention of the international community isn’t sufficient to stop massacres. Rwandans were killed in front of Belgian and French soldiers, just as media attention on Syria hasn’t brought about an end to the atrocities unfolding there today. Stopping genocide is a lot harder than just paying attention or “arousing a nation’s morality”—although both are certainly key initial steps in the process.

This raises another key problem with this argument: It assumes that an organization like Invisible Children will be able to independently establish the facts about an escalating genocide within a short enough time frame to actually mobilize some sort of military or diplomatic intervention in the crisis. Let’s not forget that the LRA conflict has been going on for decades in different forms and in different parts of central Africa. The Rwandan genocide unfolded over merely 100 days. In my opinion, if this sort of social media effort is going to have the power to affect actual change on the ground now and in the future (as I hope it will), it is going to have to work closely with researchers, policy makers, and journalists who have a better understanding of the complexity of the conflict (and thus more concrete ways to bring the conflict to a close) but that lack the tremendous popular reach of an organization like Invisible Children.

Well first of all, let us admit that we sold Africa more weaponry than any nation on Earth and we made obscene profits selling arms to brutal dictatorships like the one’s ruling Uganda for 25 years. I don’t believe we can have any legitimate claim to point fingers when we contributed to the Chaos. Also, the religious factions at play are extremely complicated. The entire reason a monster like Joseph Kony was able to evolve needs to be explained as fully and non religiously as possible. The idea that he is a Devil that arose from a sea of tranquility is hardly educational and more than a tad criminal. Again, gun running is a huge, multibillion dollar industry. Let’s talk about that, and Ugandan Democracy, Miltary etc. Anyone who has studied history knows the flag and cross follows the dollar. The evidence is clear that evangelicals are salivating to proselytize, or “save” Africa from Tribalism, Islam and the usual suspects: contraception, education for women, and gays. The sudden surge in funds to do so comes from Jerry Falwell’s Army. The recent discovery of oil in Uganda and Southern Sudan, which happen to be predominantly Christian, clearly gives the United States an opportunity to compete with China for proprietary extraction.

Hi, I just wanted to post the link for ESM STAND’s website because of a few legitimacy questions and also correct a small mistake I made, the picture I saw was of Clement standing in front of a foundation of another building, not the school we are building. http://www.wix.com/amberlr3/standupforsudan/about-stand

I guess there is a college kid who really wanted to make a difference rather than just reposting videos﻿ and pictures about kony. He wen’t ahead and contacted some organizations and asked them to donate to the cause for every lead he generated. He just made a simple blog with very little information but it was painless to make a money free donation. I doubt﻿ it generates much, but every penny counts. http://supportkony2012.wordpress.co­­m

I write this as a person who gave money to Invisible Children when they were starting out, and as a person who has spent time in Uganda and in much of central Africa. I still receive an occasional DVD and bracelet in the mail from the organization — in a super-slick, 4-color printed box. I wish I didn’t — they come across, as almost everything this group of filmmakers do, as DEEPLY narcissistic. In the end, I don’t think it’s about Kony, or the LRA, or the *actual* Invisible Children in Uganda and elsewhere. It’s about THEM – the filmmakers – and their potent mixture of disaster porn, absurdly oversimplistic narratives, and self-aggrandizement. It’s GROSS.

Mr. Helgesen writes from a perspective, common in social innovation circles, that utterly conflates intentions with outcomes. It’s a particularly, if not uniquely, American and Californian trait. Awareness raising does not equal change. And awareness soaked in misperceptions, over-simplifications and overpromises is worse – it dupes a gullible public into believing in a fairytale. There’s no excuse for it: IC produced a 30-minute video: more than enough time to provide a fact-checked, nuanced picture. But none of that’s there.

IC is not chartered or capable of doing much on the ground in Uganda, or anywhere else. But they’re REALLLY good at marketing themselves to celebrities. This isn’t a compliment. It’s an indictment.

People who have had their interest piqued in this area, and feel compelled to do something should skip IC entirely, and give money to Lacor Hospital in Gulu: http://www.lacorhospital.org, or any of a number of much more worthy organizations.

As much as I obviously stand against fascism, the Nazi propaganda minister said: “…just tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism…”. I feel this is exactly what is happening with the Invisible Children Kony campaign. Obviously awareness and compassion are the first step to creating a better world, but simply now that people are aware of what the LRA have done/ are doing doesn’t mean that if you don’t support this specific charity you are against peace, justice or wanting those affected to have better lives. If you look at the organisations funding Invisible Children, the UN for example, these organisations are bigger war mongerers than Kony could ever dream of being. If we want to change the world for the better, we need to not be drawn into pathetic media campaigns by UN funded charities and pull down the organisations that the henry Kissingers, George Soros, Brezinskis, have built. It is undeniable that when the US gov is involved in a military operation they have ulterior motives. Kony 2012 campaign is just being presented as the reason for African Union (US funded) military intervention, as shown by the recent resolutions. You have to be naive not to think there is more to this. Everyone wants to help but you have to clue up and focus our collective effort into stopping the worlds biggest criminals, who are in the White House, Downing Street, and all the neo colonial organisations like the IMF and World Bank who are causing worldwide poverty and lack, which leads to conflicts, which they then offer the solution to. Its such an obvious foreign policy. Wake up and stop labelling people either way. We should be uniting against the machine which sends people to war to die, whilst profiteering from natural resources and arms deals. Seriously. Look into Henry Kissinger, George Soros, the crimes of the IMF, World Bank, Fed Reserve, Club of the Isles, Tavistock Institute, the list goes on and on. These are the worlds biggest criminals.